How To: Dehydrate Your Own Trail Food

Whether you have a top-notch home dehydrator or just a plain old oven, it's easy to transform fresh food into waterless, lightweight trail chow.

Shred the food or chop it into small pieces so it will dry thoroughly at home and rehydrate quickly in camp.

Line your dehydrator trays with parchment paper; use plain cookie sheets in the oven.

Select the appropriate temperature. For dehydrators with temperature settings, choose "fruits and vegetables." For the oven, use the lowest possible setting (such as "warm") to keep the temperature at or below 145 degrees F.

Rotate the food often so it dries evenly, and check frequently to monitor drying.